Suspenders.



No. 725,190. PATENTED APR. 14, 1903.

" A. M. ZIEG-LE'R.

SUSPENDERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1901.

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ALFRED M. ZIEGLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUSPENDERS..

SPECIFICATION fprming part of Letters Patent No. 725,190, dated April 14, 1903.

Application filed March 21, 1901. Serial No. 5 2,125. (No model.) 7

sers, while supplying ample elasticity and comfort for extreme body movement.

A common experience in the use of sus-' ponders which contain a long elastic webbing is that in order to sustain the trousers properly the user is obliged to tighten them up sufficiently to put the elastic webbing under a slight strain, and this continual strain of.

the suspender on the shoulders frequently" produces an extreme weariness and has re,- sulted in the substitution to quite a degree of suspenders made with non-elastic webbing. The latter, however, are objectionable, because they cannot yield properly to sudden movements and undue strains, and hence are liable to rip off the buttons or injure the garments.

A great number of devices have been made and suggested for overcoming the various objections above alluded to; but most of them have accomplished their purpose by doing away entirely with the elastic webbing, which, however, has decided advantages, and accordingly I have devised the present invention, in which I obtain all the advantages of the elastic webbing, utilizingits readily-yielding qualities for all the ordinary movements of the body, thereby insuring the utmost ease to the wearer, and combining therewith elastic fastening ends Which do not yield excepting for unusual and sudden strains. 7 I

In the drawing I have illustrated one em.- bodiment of my invention.

It will be understood that the general arrangement of suspender or shoulder-brace may be of any kind or style desired, being herein shown as'comprising branching straps a, for passing over the shoulders, provided with take-ups a and cast-offs a At the back the shoulder-straps (t are secured together by a suitable connection a herein shown as a piece of leather, which serves to secure them together and to an auxiliary piece a, provided at its lower end with a leather or other loop a in which is mounted a fastening end or button-loop a, and other similar fastening ends or button-loops a being provided at the cast-ods a The part a is made of readily-yieldingelastic webbing, and preferably,also,the shoulder-straps care of the same material, whereas the fastening end a", and preferably, also, the ends a are composed of elastic material which does not yield readily, being sufficiently stiff and nonelastic to maintain an unyielding condition for all ordinary purposes, but capable of stretching when subjected to sudden or severe strain.

In use my improved suspender givesgreat ease and comfort to the wearer, because there is no necessity for pulling up the suspender to the usual extent, as all that is necessary is to tighten it sufficiently to give proper support to the trousers for appearance sake, as the elastic webbing a and, preferably a, is capable of yielding with extreme readiness to accommodate the Various positions of the body assumed in sitting, walking, &c., whereas in any sudden movement-as, for instance, in jumping or reaching out suddenly-the fastening ends a" yield to the extentrequired and having accomplished their purpose immediately recover their inactive position.

If the whole suspender from end to end were alike readily yielding, the result would be that it would either permit the trousers to sag or else if pulled up sufficiently to prevent said result it would be so tight and harsh as to be uncomfortable and tire sensitive shoulders. The same result would follow if the heavy ends a a were not used, but non-elastic ends used instead, and so, likewise, the same result would follow if the webbing were all non elastic, whereas by combining a readily-yielding web portion with a tardilyyielding fastening end the result is that the suspender is capable of instantly yielding to all possible movements and requirements to which it may be subjected and yet is normally in such condition as to bring Very slight strain upon the shouldersof the wearer. In other words, the combination in different portions of the suspender of the two degrees of elasticity insures the greatest comfort to the user, while providing a capability of yielding to all emergencies and unusual movements.

A further advantage of my suspender will be evident when it is remembered that the deteriorating influence of the body on a suspender tends to make the latter less and less elastic in the web portion which comes in direct contact in passing over the shoulders, and the result is that in the usual form of suspender which contains an elastic web the suspender gets less and less elastic until finally it loses its elasticity altogether, in which case it results in ripping off buttons and preventing freedom of movement of the user. On the other hand, as the web portion of my suspender loses more or less of its elasticity by extent of use the life ofthe suspender is not thereby shortened, because the required elasticity of the entire suspender is supplied by the tardily-yielding fastening ends long after the web portion may have ceased to perform its function to the best advantage.

As already intimated, my invention is capable of a great many embodiments, and accordingly I do not limit myself otherwise than is hereinbefore expressed, and more particularly defined-in the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A suspender, containing a Webbing for resting against the body, and fastening ends for securing the same in place, different parts of said suspender having different degrees of elasticity, one part thereof yielding readily for the usual slight changes of position of the user, and another part yielding tardily for accom modating only severe and unusual strains.

2. A suspender, having a web part and fastening ends, said web part or portion thereof being freely elastic and yielding readily, and the fastening ends being tardily elastic and yielding only for extraordinary strains.

3. A suspender, having a web portion extending from the back to the front, and fastening ends at the respective ends of said web portion, said web portion or a part thereof ALFRED M. ZIEGLER.

Witnesses:

EDITH M. STODDARD, GEO. I-I. MAXWELL. 

